Editor's Note: This article has been updated for November with a press release (click here) for the "Writers for Mumia EMERGENCY! Symposium" which will take place on November 20th in New York City.

At the end of August 1999, and during the month of September, a series of cultural events took place on behalf of writer, Mumia Abu-Jamal. Mumia is a Major Armstrong Award-winning journalist who has been on death row since1982. Arts organizations, clubs, theaters, and cafes joined with poets, artists, musicians, actors, comedians, curators, playwrights and activist organizations as part of Mumia 911, A National Day Of Art To Stop The Execution Of Mumia Abu-Jamal. These events were organized to help keep this case in public view and raise funds for his legal defense.

Mumia Abu-Jamal is a former Black Panther member who was convicted of the 1981 murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner. An incident in which he was also shot. Since the original trial that placed him on death row, his trial has been a glaring example of the continuing racist and corrupt practices in the American legal system. Two main witnesses against Mumia have retracted their original testimony against him, exposing a corrupt conciliatory relationship between the Philly police and courts. A relationship that coerced with threats, the witnesses towards falsifying their original testimony. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has maintained a file on Mumia Abu-Jamal dating back to his teen years. During which time he served as Minister of Information for a chapter of the Black Panthers. A Panther chapter that conducted food drives among other activities to help improve their community. His FBI file also follows into his adulthood as a journalist. His columns about the MOVE organization and the racist knee-jerk responses to MOVE by Philly's police and courts. He was one of the few journalists whose continued coverage of the MOVE members plight allowed the public to really see the inequities and wrong headedness of their police force, legal institutions, and government officials. Even while incarcerated Mumia has continued to write. On death row he has had what few privileges allowed rescinded due to the publication of two books, Live From Death Row, which chronicles his prison experiences and examines the American legal system that placed him there, and Death Blossoms which includes essays, poetry, and commentaries.

Mumia 911 events outside of New York included; Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Baltimore, New Mexico, and Hawaii among others. In Berlin, Germany events were organized by The James Baldwin Society Berlin, Antirassitische Initiative e. V. Berlin, De Life Sign, SO 36 Berlin, Adefra e.V. Efurt & Waset Archive, and Kalomo Berlin.

I worked as an organizing member for Mumia 911 along with a culturally diverse coalition of thousands of individuals, groups, and organizations. Specifically, I was a member of the Mumia 911 Artist's Committee which was responsible for coordinating, arranging, and sometimes curating artists exhibitions. I also co-organized and co-hosted Words for Mumia 911 along with poet Steve Colman (1999 Nuyorican Fresh Poet Of The Year ). It was a spoken word event held at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. From it's inception, Mumia 911 was seen as a way not only to highlight the legal injustices that are at the stone cold heart of Mumia's case, but also to raise funds for his legal defense. We worked to build bridges across racial and economic divides, bringing together varied individuals and organizations under one ideological umbrella. It was one of the largest efforts, from grassroots to established organizations, working with artists and writers. Creating a diverse coalition working against political and legal corruption operating in the US of A. I am aware, it is certainly not the only effort of this kind in which artists and writers have been involved. It is one of the activists' efforts that I have been in support of or directly involved in as a poet/artist.

Back In The Day Time Travel Erinnerung!

I was about 4 or 5 years old when Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. I remember the atmosphere in my home on that crushing day; the deep heavy sadness of the adults around me. The solid silence was painfully punctuated by the in-between whimpers and stunned vocalizations. Words and images from the TV and radio which were turned up loud. Words and images causing heads to fall into hands attached to arms too weak for support. My mother was part of the March On Washington in 1963. Other family members and friends were, if not active in protests, active in supporting financially or vocally, efforts by MLK or others raising the roof, and the stakes for civil justice in America. Some years later, when I was about 10 or 11, I used to hear discussions about apartheid in South Africa while hangin' at my father's friend's homes. Nina Simone and Gil Scott-Heron's LP's were among the usual heard in my home or my father's friends' apartments. One of my father's friends, knowing of my young artistic endeavors and young outrage and fear of apartheid, gave me an anti-apartheid calendar. The calendar was produced to raise funds for the fight against apartheid. It included photographs of art done by artists from Africa as well as other countries and members of Artists Against Apartheid. As a high school student, I participated in a No Nukes march on City Hall. The bombing of MOVE was on my birthday in 1985, which blew my mind. As a college student, I was briefly involved with student efforts against Apartheid. In all of these efforts against injustice I've met people from different cultural and economic backgrounds who came together for a cause. People who worked together.

The same kind of diverse coalition was found in groups organized around Mumia 911. At one of the spoken word events I experienced this diversity put to the test. Mariposa, a young poet, had organized an event as part of her series Soul in The Heights, held at Cafe Largo in "Da Heights" of upper Manhattan. The owner of the cafe, a former cop, had some misgivings about the event. He also had misgivings regarding the Mumia 911 yellow tape Mariposa had asked to place outside on the front of his establishment. The tape, a project by artist Brad McCallum, looks like yellow police tape with Mumia 911 printed on it. Sold to raise funds, the tape was sold to individuals and organizations for display. His hesitations were caused not just because of his cop affiliations, but he questioned the public support and the lack of clarity in the information he was aware of about Mumia's case. I admitted that the information one was likely to come across from most media sources was leveled against him. He was open to discussion. I explained that the bribery and corruption that conspired around the original trial, the witnesses that have come forward to retract their testimony against Mumia, the discrepancies between the evidence that Mumia's gun (for which he had a license and he carried in his cab while working nights as a cabby in Philly) did not match to the bullet that was removed from the body of the slain officer. I answered his questions as best I was able. Ultimately, I said he has to form his own opinion and that I would see he received updated information about Mumia's case. The yellow tape went up outside of the cafe and it was a-fill-my-head-with-needed-words-and-thoughts-full-house-poetry-event. I would be remiss if I didn't mention; Cafe Largo also serves up well priced, tasty Latino/Caribbean eats.

The questions or criticisms I often encounter working around Mumia's case and with Mumia 911 are; "Why are all these people getting together around this one man?! or "I mean, there are other political prisoners not getting this kind of needed support and attention!" It is also clear to me that Mumia Abu-Jamal, members of the FALN, Leonard Peltier, Ken Saro-Wiwa, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Steven Biko, Nelson Mandela or Ahkmed Athrada, are not the only victims of racist legal systems and practices. There were and are other women, men, and children who have suffered these same atrocities and who go unmentioned in popular media and unknown to many. In answer to the former question I say; ŒMaybe because they feel that his case is connected with their personal struggles.' In answer to the latter comment I say; ŒYou're right. Get out there and work with those who are working on behalf of America's political prisoners to right America's wrongs.'

Those people organizing in efforts to keep corrupt government practices in the public sphere for public scrutiny. Those people working together to right the wrongs. Those people working against the media machines misrepresentation or silence about what's really goin' on, reminds me that---well,--- reminds me that, We Are The People.

Next month, I'll examine my involvement in this and other group experiences that have given me cause to stop, think again, deal with situations, and move on.